Mandarin Bar
Photo Courtesy of Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group
What are you looking at? Well, if you’re occupying a seat at your usual bar, the answer may be an attractive bartender. But if you’re in the market for a little more, allow Las Vegas to offer some compelling alternatives.
Skyfall Lounge at Delano Las Vegas
Renowned chef Alain Ducasse knew he had a good thing going at Mix Restaurant & Lounge, perched on the 64th floor of The Delano — formerly THEhotel — at Mandalay Bay. So, rather than let go when the bloom was gone from his white-on-white dining room and its adjacent red-and-black lounge, Ducasse conspired with acclaimed French-Canadian design duo Patrick Jouin and Sanjit Manku to transform Mix into the Mediterranean-inspired small-plates concept Rivea, and the lounge into the alluring Skyfall Lounge.
Skyfall Lounge, Photo Courtesy of The Delano Las Vegas
Awash in the deepest blues and darkest purples, the surprisingly large space basks in warm amber lighting from exposed wooden soffits overhead. Still, all eyes are on the floor-to-ceiling glass wall to the north and the wide balcony beyond, both affording 180-degree views of the cityscape.
What to drink
Assuming you can tear yourself away from the skyline, turn your attention to the modern center bar, where bowtied and vested bartenders stand by to prepare original and classic cocktails from a menu by Proprietors LLC (of New York’s Death & Co. and L.A.’s Honeycut). The new summer roster features such categories as “Refreshing,” “Complex” and “Boozy,” as well as punchbowls for the entire table plus “Martini Education,” where vodka or gin is served your way, be that classic, dirty, Gibson or combined in a classic Vesper.
When to go
Every night during the 5-to-7 p.m. happy hour, select cocktails and nosh are available for attractive prices. Then, from 7:30 to 8:30 p.m., Delano guests can enjoy a complimentary glass of sparkling wine. At 9 p.m., a DJ turns up the tempo with upbeat house and dance music until close.
Mandarin Bar in Mandarin Oriental, Las Vegas
You might find yourself torn between the vantages offered by the Mandarin Tea Lounge and Mandarin Bar, which sit side-by-side and are adjacent to the Sky Lobby on the 23rd floor of the Forbes Travel Guide Five-Star Mandarin Oriental, Las Vegas.
Here, instead of towering above the resorts and their marquees, Mandarin’s soaring windows set you among them at marquee height, right in the thick of it at one of the busiest and most interesting intersections on the Strip. Soak that in by day or night among the dark woods and jewel tones of this contemporary space, which is enlivened by musicians on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays.
What to drink
Sophistication abounds on a menu studded with playful twists on classics. The Smoke & Mirrors, a play on the original Manhattan, is made with Basil Hayden’s Bourbon, vermouth, house-made black tea–infused simple syrup and fresh lemon zest in a glass rinsed with Lagavulin 16-Year scotch. The Un-Usual Negroni swaps Lillet Blanc in for the traditional sweet, red vermouth, and Aperol for the Campari, which are both mixed with Plymouth Gin and orange zest.
When to go
At 3 p.m. each Saturday afternoon, Mandarin Oriental property mixologist Michael LaPenna hosts “Mixologist in the Making,” where you can learn basic bartending skills and tasting techniques. Alternately, arrive just before sunset and watch the bustling Strip transition from day to night.
107 SkyLounge at the Stratosphere
Bear with us just long enough to cross the Stratosphere’s casino floor, mall, metal detector and bag search that are required to access the Stratosphere Tower. Trust us, things will start to look up the instant the double-decker elevator alights on the 107th floor and you get your first look at the lounge’s 360-degree vantage of the entire Las Vegas Valley.
What to drink
If the 100-mile view doesn’t get you, maybe the High Fashioned will — a fruit-style old fashioned made with Bulleit bourbon, orange, cherries, sugar, soda and bitters. Traditionalists might prefer a gin martini or Manhattan.
When to go
Either way, the time to do it is during the 4-to-7 p.m. happy hour. Next, make your way down to the 106th floor for dinner at the slowly revolving Top of the World restaurant, or up to the indoor observation deck on 108 and the roof on 109. Jim Morrison sang it best: “We couldn’t get much higher.”
